Whiskey with Witcher

Between the cosplay, panels, meetups, screenings, booths, signings and overall excitement, there’s nothing better than a convention! Well, at least if you ignore all the crowds, lines, overpriced food, unshowered attendees and the possibility of coming home sick (something one of our hosts knows a lot about). Still, it’s hard to deny the appeal of gathering with thousands of fans to celebrate something you love…especially when that celebration also spills over into the local bars. In this week’s new episode, we discussing our history with conventions—both as attendees and exhibitors—including our recent trip together to San Diego Comic-Con. We share what it was like seeing Freya Allan, explain some of the issues we had with Comic-Con this year and ponder what we see happening to the convention landscape in the future. Plus, we unpack Netflix’s recent Geeked Week announcement. Are we in for a shipload of Sirens news? Or just an ocean of disappointment?

Our conversation on fanfiction continues, as the always insightful Rebekah Rodriguez-Lynn discusses some of the Witcher fics she’s authored and what it’s been like developing as a writer on AO3. Which of her favorite Witcher ships resonate with readers and which one, despite all her best intentions, has not? What has writing and reading fanfiction taught her? And what happens when she’s written fanfic while drinking? Plus, we answer some questions from Rebekah’s fans on Tumblr and subject our guest to some particularly challenging drunken questions. And yes, Tim gets some more verbal spankings—but don’t worry, he’s into them.

You can find Rebekah Rodriguez-Lynn on Twitter at @BuffySummers10, on Tumblr at @Fangirleaconmigo and on AO3 at Descarada.

The best writing often challenges you, so it’s only natural that our episode on writing and fanfiction does as well! We’re excited to welcome back one of our favorite past guests, fanfiction writer and Witcher expert Rebekah Rodriguez-Lynn, for a little wining and opining about all things fanfiction. We uncork two bottles of wine from Suveg Cellars—a local favorite of Rebekah’s—for a fierce, but fascinating discussion that gets into what makes something fanfiction, why fans devote so much of their lives writing and reading it and whether a fanfic can drift so far from the source material that it’s no longer a fanfic. In fact, we had so much fun that we ran a little longer than usual and decided to break the episode into two parts. Look for the rest of the conversation next week. Believe it or not, it gets even crazier!

You can find Rebekah Rodriguez-Lynn on Twitter at @BuffySummers10, on Tumblr at @Fangirleaconmigo and on AO3 at Descarada

You can be a fan of art. But is there an art to being a fan? There certainly is when we’re talking about our friend Maja, who over the past few years has become one of the most talented, distinct and sought after Witcher fan artists working today. Maja’s clever illustrations of characters like Yennefer, Jaskier and Geralt (to say nothing of our podcast art, which she designed) all boast a sophisticated sense of style and influence that would seem to extend well beyond her young age, and which we discuss thoroughly with her as Maja joins us on our latest episode. Plus, she shares some savage thoughts on The Witcher’s costumes, explains why she’s so fond of Yenskier and yes, answers our drunken questions in what’s one of our liveliest fandom discussions yet!

See Maja’s latest fanart by following her on Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr at @perseruna

Dandelion’s biggest fan...is probably himself. Dandelion’s second biggest fan, however, is arguably Elias the Bard, the extraordinarily gifted cosplayer and Witcher fan who has made a name for himself cosplaying as the flamboyant troubadour. In this week’s episode, we welcome Elias to the podcast, who discusses discovering The Witcher through the trilogy of games and how his love of the world and particularly Dandelion led to him creating some of the most authentic Jaskier cosplays out there. We dive deep into cosplay as a form of fandom, as Elias shares stories about dressing up at cons, explains why he cosplays the characters he does and ponders how aging might affect his cosplaying in the future (in short, it won’t!). Plus, he reveals which of The Witcher’s many characters would do the best job cosplaying as him!

Find Elias the Bard online in the following spots...

Instagram: @the.gardening.bard

Twitter/X: @Gardening_bard

TikTok: @eliasthegardeningbard

Tumblr: @elythegardeningbard

How do you know you’re a pretty big Witcher fan? When you spend over a year of your life bringing it to life! This week, we welcome Lihtar Studio’s Edward Kurchevsky to the podcast to discuss the recent animated tribute short he directed based on Andrzej Sapkowski’s short story, “A Grain of Truth.” A stylish interpretation of Geralt and his world, the energetic teaser is a labor of love from all involved—and Lihtar’s very first project. Over scotch, Edward shares why he and his colleagues decided to launch their studio with The Witcher, what he enjoys most about the franchise and what other memorable Witcher story he’d love a chance to animate. Plus, we discuss European vs. American fandom and whether Geralt should have a beard. (The answer is surprisingly controversial!)

Watch Lihtar Studio’s Witcher short: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbVvxxgNj2k

Some artists draw comics full of deep emotion. Others draw comics full of sexy naked people! Getting it on! In all kinds of creative ways! Joanna Estep is one of the few who manages to do all of the above while also setting her stories within the world of The Witcher. This week, we welcome Jo back to the podcast to find out exactly how she pulls it off, while also discussing her involvement in Witcher fandom overall. Jo opens up about the role fandom has played throughout her life, revealing why she’s driven to create thoughtful, poignant comic book stories (that just so happen to feature a ton of sex) and which of The Witcher’s many ships is ultimately her favorite. No, it’s not Yarskier, but she offers her thoughts on that as well!

Buy Joanna Estep’s latest Witcher fancomic: https://joannaestep.storenvy.com/

Your days of sober-minded conversation are over, as Whiskey with Witcher is back with an all-new season devoted entirely to fandom! Why do we fall hard for things like The Witcher, and why does that passion manifest so differently for all of us? How can we love a franchise so much, but still feel driven to write fanfic that’s completely at odds with it? Why are some fans inspired to recreate a show’s costumes, while others get drunk on podcasts and drag that same show’s costume designer? (No, not us—we would never!) We fans are a diverse, opinionated and occasionally conflicted crew, and in our premiere episode, we kick off our quest to get to the bottom of what’s behind it…while getting to the bottom of a bottle of Angel’s Envy Bourbon. Plus, both of us share our thoughts on the first images of Liam Hemsworth as Geralt!

It’s a whirlybird of a crossover! In this special bonus episode, Tim and Valerie guest on the Tentpole Trauma podcast to discuss Henry Cavill’s recent box office misfire, Argylle. We break down the film with host Sebastian Bendix to see if we can figure out why the movie failed to find an audience before discussing where Cavill’s career should go from here. We also recap the movie’s utterly bonkers marketing campaign and throw in some Witcher talk, just to cleanse our palate. So, pour yourself a drink—even intoxicated you’re likely to be far more coherent than anything in the film—and join us for some seriously sauced spy games!

We’re back…sort of. While the official debut of our upcoming season is still a few weeks away, we just couldn’t wait to weigh in on all the latest Witcher news! Season 4 is officially in production! Season 5 has been greenlit—and it’s the show’s final season?!? We debate whether this is a good or bad thing before sharing what we’d like to see in The Witcher’s remaining episodes. We also discuss all the casting news that’s hit since our last episode, engage in some controversial Lady of the Lake commentary and bring back over a half dozen whiskeys from previous seasons…with exactly the results you’d expect.